'Binge before bed and shed weight'

DIETERS who binge before bedtime could hold the key to weight loss, according to new research. People who fast during the day and feast in the evening are more likely to lose weight and have lower blood pressure, according to an article in The Lancet medical journal.

DIETERS who binge before bedtime could hold the key to weight loss, according to new research.

People who fast during the day and feast in the evening are more likely to lose weight and have lower blood pressure, according to an article in The Lancet medical journal.

The research is contrary to recent advice that eating small amounts regularly is the key to weight loss.

The new thinking also predicts that the `blowout' diet could give protection against heart disease and strokes as well as degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

American neuroscientist Dr Mark Mattson tested the diet on rats, which were starved one day and allowed to gorge the next.

They lost weight and lived longer than rats that were allowed to eat whenever they liked.

Metabolism

Now Dr Mattson now believes that the same theory could apply to humans.

He writes in the journal: "Our basic metabolism was set up when we were hunter-gatherers. The pattern would be a mixture of feast and famine.

"Maybe we'd go several days without food then splurge when a supply was found.

"We not only get much less exercise than our distant ancestors, but having a regular food supply as opposed to an intermittent one may prove to be almost as damaging."

It is thought that because the body is deprived of food, it is coaxed into producing proteins and other chemicals normally released during short periods of stress like exercise. These proteins can help to protect some cells from degeneration and others from cancer.

However, most doctors continue to recommend that never skipping breakfast and always eating regular, balanced meals is the way to achieve sustained weight loss and good health.